Biological control of exotic bark beetles.

摘要

Hylastes ater has become a pest of replanted radiata pine [Pinus radiata] in New Zealand, where it breeds under the bark of stumps and in logging waste, and feeds on seedlings after emergence. It is often associated with Hylurgus ligniperda, which is another introduced pine bark beetle that is a minor pest of pines in New Zealand. Site management is currently the only option for reducing the effects of Hylastes ater. Research into bio-protection regenerated radiata pine included an investigation into the potential use of microbial biological control agents - insect-killing fungi - to control Hylastes ater. Beetles of both species infected with Beauveria spp. are commonly encountered. Although the ubiquitous soil pathogen B. bassiana is periodically recovered from infected cadavers, it was found that B. caledonica is the primary fungal pathogen of bark beetles in pine plantations in New Zealand. This is the first record of B. caledonica as an insect pathogen.